The Power of Hearing Care Continuity

For Dr. Veronica Heide, the core of her audiology practice is about the relationships she’s fostered over time. She’s built a career listening to patients' needs in every phase of life – and having the right tools to support those needs without compromising comfort, confidence, or individuality. 

This very philosophy has guided her career from the earliest days of her practice in Wisconsin to her long-standing work with Widex and families like the Hassricks, whose hearing-health journey spans generations. 

“When someone trusts you to help them with their hearing challenges, that’s not a small thing,” Dr. Heide said. “Hearing care is deeply personal. When patients return year after year, through different seasons of life, that trust becomes something you feel responsible for honoring every day.” 

A Career Grounded in Individualized Care 

Heide’s professional path has been shaped by this steady commitment to patient-centered audiologic care. Over the years, she has built a practice known for fittings tailored to individual needs and verified with science, careful follow-up, and developing long-term relationships to meet evolving lifestyle needs. This approach has naturally aligned with the Widex amplification philosophy which emphasizes natural sound, customization, and flexibility. 

“I’ve worked with Widex for a long time because it lets me treat people as individuals. The technology gives me flexibility, so I’m not forcing everyone into the same solution. I can really tailor fittings based on how someone lives, works, and communicates.”  

That flexibility has been especially important as Heide’s patients navigate increasingly complex listening environments. For example, Heide first met Karl Hassrick, father of Estella, in 2012 when he came to her practice looking for solutions that would help him hear more clearly in professional meetings and collaborative work environments. Over time, those visits evolved into a deeper professional relationship and, eventually, care for multiple members of the Hassrick family.  

“Karl needed better access to soft speech and voices at a distance, especially in meetings. That’s always been a strength of Widex: soft sounds are audible, normal speech is comfortable, and loud sounds are loud, but not uncomfortable. The sound is clear and natural, and it doesn’t call attention to itself.” 

As the years went on, Karl and his wife Jen shared stories about their daughter Estella (now a Widex Ambassador) and her growing passion for ski jumping that led to frequent travel to competitions around the world. Heide met Estella for the first time when she was 15, at a point when her hearing needs were changing alongside her demanding training schedule. 

“When I first met Estella, her energy filled the room,” Heide said. “She needed hearing aids that could adapt to a wide range of environments and keep up with a very active, global lifestyle. In fitting Estella with Widex Allure™, I wanted her to feel confident in hear hearing abilities and confident that her hearing instruments would support her wherever she is in the world.” 

Supporting Independence Through Technology 

According to Heide, patients like Estella often describe Widex Allure as transparent and effortless, a quality that reduces listening fatigue and encourages longer daily wear time. That consistency, she says, directly impacts quality of life. 

“When hearing feels natural, people don’t have to work as hard to hear. They stay engaged longer, they’re less fatigued, and that makes a real difference in everyday life as well as in demanding sports like ski-jumping."

Heide has also embraced Widex Compass™ Cloud as an important evolution in her clinical workflow and another element that supports her steadfast patient care philosophy. The cloud-based fitting platform allows for continuous updates and refinements, keeping pace with advances in audiology without adding complexity to the fitting process. “Compass Cloud has changed the focus of the fitting experience. Because it’s cloud-based, it stays current as the technology evolves so patients benefit quickly from the latest software enhancements. This gives me more time to focus on the patient.” 

The Widex Compass Cloud fitting software provides individualized precision in the fitting with tools such as in-situ measurements and acoustic feedback calibration. Use of these tools tailors the sound output of the hearing aids to meet real-ear targets as well as provide individual soundscapes. “These tools improve the fitting accuracy right away,” Heide said. “That means fewer adjustments later and more time during appointments to focus on counseling, communication strategies, connectivity with other audio systems, and follow-up.” 

A Partnership Built on Trust 

For Heide, the value of working with Widex ultimately comes back to relationships. Technology, when thoughtfully designed, becomes an enabler rather than a barrier. “Widex gives me the tools to do what I love most,” she said. “To listen, to support, and to walk alongside patients and families over time.” 

Working with the Hassricks has reinforced why she chose audiology as a profession.  “Being part of their journey has been one of the great privileges of my career.”